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I had the same symptom and it turned out to be the small metal tube ($5 part) off the back of the water pump that feeds the coolant line that lays in the valley under the intake plenum. When the valley fills with coolant/water it spills off the back of the motor down the front of the trans. To fix the problem you need to remove the entire intake, fuel rails and plenum (took me 2 days to R&R plus acquire the parts) to get to the problem. I suggest you replace the water pump at the same time while you're in there. Not a hard job just lots of bending over wrenching. The shop wanted $1500, I had $500 into parts including plugs, alternater, water pump, belts, coolant and hoses. Good luck.

Ok this is a 4" piece of hose leaking on a tube that runs under the intake manifold and fastens to the rear of the engine with 2 small bolts that are very hard to get to. The heater core hooks up to this tube with a 5/8 hose that's 3/4 on the other end going into the heatrer core.Solution:remove alternatorsee clamp on hose?remove it.If you can't remove it, clamp vice grips on it and take a steak knife and cut through the hose towards the rear of the engine. Now with large screw driver pry the hose and clamp off the nub on the rear of the water pump housing. You may have to move the tube and remaining hose out of the way first. Just stick your hands in there and force it out of the way. Now you have a clean nub to hook a 5/8 bypass hose to. Here's where you get it. Go back to the heater core and and remove the hose that connects to this tube that runs under the intake. Just cut it where it hooks to the tube and remove it carefully from the heater core because this is now your needed bypass hose. Now with a couple feet of 3/4 hose and a coupler you have all you need to reroute this water outlet around the engine to the heater core. Take your hose you cut from the other end of the tube and removed from the heater core and and fasten it to the nub on water pump housing use new screw type stainless Steel clamps. You have to take this one apart to put it on. Stick a 3/4 coupler into the other end and route a long section of 3/4 hose under alternator to the heater core using SS clamps where needed. job done... Just leave the old tube where it is under the intake manifold......Thank you Very Much

Notorious for intake leaks, the composite plastic intakes crack and leak coolant-as to the lack of power, you mght have overheated it and done some damage to the engine. There was a recall (information below) for the 4.6 for the intake-the overheating and lack of power means you should at least have compression checked and go from there-you may have bad head gaskets or worse. Do a compression test before you do anything else.

Ford Motor Company will extend the recall (01M02) on
4.6L V8 equipped vehicles with plastic intake manifolds. Some of the
composite intake manifolds used on 4.6L SOHC engines may develop fatigue
cracks at the coolant crossover duct. This condition could result in
engine coolant leakage which, if not serviced, may cause engine
overheating. Complete loss of coolant may result in engine damage or
engine failure.
The updated recall now includes:• Certain 1996
through 2001 Model Year Crown Victoria Police Interceptor• Certain
1998 through 2001 Model Year Crown Victoria with Taxi• Certain 1998
through 2001 Lincoln Town Car Limousine and Livery Prep Package•
Certain 1996-2001 Crown Victoria Taxis, Police cars and Lincoln Town Car
Limousine and Livery cars.
• Certain 1996 through 1997 Crown Victoria Police
Interceptor Vehicles with 4.6L SOHC engines built at the St. Thomas
Assembly Plant from the beginning of production for the 1996 Model Year
through January 28, 1997.• Certain 1998 through 2001 Crown Victoria
Police Interceptor Vehicles with 4.6L SOHC engines built at the St. Thomas
Assembly Plant from November 22, 1997 through December 15, 2000.•
Certain 1998 through 2001 Crown Victoria Taxi Vehicles with 4.6L SOHC
engines built at the St. Thomas Assembly Plant from November 22, 1997
through December 15, 2000.• Certain 1998 through 2001 Lincoln Town Car
Limousine Prep Package and Livery Vehicles with 4.6L SOHC engines built at
the Wixom Assembly Plant from November 22, 1997 through December 15,
2000.

Yes, there are expansion plugs (freeze plugs) on both sides of the engine block and at the rear of the engine block between the engine and transmission. There are also a couple in the ends of the cylinder heads.

With all that said, I would like to add that many times with that engine, the heater tube and connecting hoses can leak and be mistaken for a rear expansion plug leaking. I would definately check this before pulling the transmission out.

There is a tube that runs from the back of the water pump under the intake manifold and out the rear of the engine where it hooks up to the heater hose/heater core. This tube has a small hose connecting it to the back of the water pump. There is also a hole in the back of the engine block that will allow antifreeze from under the intake manifold to leak into the transmission bell housing area. When this tube or hose leaks, it often gets mistaken for a leaking rear expansion plug.

It is very easy to check for this. Remove the serpentine belt and remove the alternator and look under the intake manifold down in the "valley" between the cylinder heads. If there is antifreeze in there, the hose or the tube is leaking. Look at the picture below. Item #3 is the tube and hose assembly I am talking about. Usually, just the hose is leaking. It should be replaced with a short piece of SILICONE heater hose. On some of the vehicles, there are 2 hose clamps. On others, the end of the hose that is attached to the tube has a crimped collar on it. If yours is like this, you can fix it by carefully cutting the crimp collar off and replacing the hose using band clamps. (screw-type)

Also look for antifreeze leaking into this area from the front intake manifold runner. They tend to leak on the front runner near where the thermostat housing is located. These will also leak into the valley area and run out the back of the engine. If the manifold is leaking, chances are it is warped. DORMAN makes a replacement intake manifold kit just for this purpose because it has been so common. It is also very easy to check for this with the alternator removed.
The DORMAN part number for your vehicle is 615-178 (See second picture below)

you must have a 3.0 v6 engine,if you do and you see coolant laying on the pan under the intake,best bets are the round pipe you see in between the pan and intake,there are rubber O rings on the pipe in the rear that get hard and crack and leak,